Kappa wondered what that one's liver tasted like. She was nasty, so liver was probably deeeeeeeeeeee-licious.

"Kappa IS this one." Kappa pointed to itself. This one. Kappa. "This one let you ask and get answer." Now Kappa would get THREE cucumbers. Girl was Kappa's best friend.

Kappa considered. "I like my name. What is your name?" The Kappa was showing it's politeness again. "The one that wins is the winning side."

She didn't look quite as tasty anymore. "This one forgives and thanks you."

Kappa snapped its beaky bit at THAT, its feathers bristly with agitation. "Kappa is not NOT telling. This one knows your gender, you should know this ones." Unless THAT one wasn't smart. Maybe that one wanted to wrestle....? Kappa took its cucumber and ate it whole.

Kappa caught the cucumber in its webbed feet and chomped off the end. "Kappas come from there. This one could tell you." Sure could.
"Horses are tasty." Kappa would not say again without cucumber from greedy boy. Kappa stared at boy. "If Kappa had babies, they would be little. Babies are little." And Kappa was smart. This one moved closer to boy and let the gas free from its body. Boy's fault.

Dianna let out a sigh. She felt relieved not only because she was able to give her cucumber poiltely but also because the weird look she was getting from the kappa like he was thinking how she tasted disappeared.

"You are absolutely welcome." she said as she curtsied once more.
"If you don't mind me asking but why do you like cucumbers so much?" she said. She herself never liked vegetables much.

"Right. Most of you understand that dark creatures are dangerous. As the textbook definition says: They are magical in nature, they often do not have a complete life cycle the way a typical animal would but exist simply as a physical extension of an evil intention and they seek actively to harm, often for no other reason than that's what they do."

Truebridge watched the Kappa for a moment.

"However, in some cases, particularly in the case of the Kappa, there are some benefits to keeping one around. What can a Kappa do for you?"

Ever since the Kappa was released from it's cage, Destiny could just staaaaare at it. She watched as the thing SNATCHED the cucumbers and ate them like they were real. She would have asked the Kappa creature what the fake vegetables tasted like, but, yeah, she didn't want to tick IT off and be eaten. No thank you.

She had seen how the thing snapped at whatshisname over there..

Whaaaat?

A beneficial Kappa?

Destiny could only think of one reason she'd want one of these ugly dark creatures around, and she raised her hand high, "Having a Kappa around could benefit ME because I don't like cucumbers. Then, when my mum makes that cucumber salad of hers, I can feed it to the Kappa and have her think I ate it so I won't get in trouble!"

Although..the Kappa probably wouldn't like her mum's cucumber salad either.

What can a Kappa do for you... Uh...

"I heard that if you refill the water on their heads they will serve you forever and ever.. Oh and they are highly knowledgeable of medicine. They could be small helpers at home just like house elves! Except house elves are cuter.. " she said while lowering her hand.

Marie had been sitting there just watching what was going on with the Kappa. She was holding a cucumber but still hadn't decided if she wanted to approach it or not.

Eh, she would wait a little longer.

"Professor it has been said that once a kappa ahs been befriended, the have been known to perform any number of tasks for humans, such as helping farmers irrigate their land." Of course they probably ate all the cucumbers they wanted but hey, what's a few cucumbers when you can get the help of a kappa and know they won't eat you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KAPPA

Kappa caught the cucumber in its webbed feet and chomped off the end. "Kappas come from there. This one could tell you." Sure could.

Mina smiled and nodded. "My mother used to tell us, well my siblings and I that is, about her time in Japan. Is it pretty?" she asked. She had always wanted to visit despite her mothers story of the kappa. They didn't seem to scary to her, but again she had to keep in mind what they had been taught. Hearing Truebridge's question, she flicked her wand and levitate another cucumber over. "Please excuse for a moment, Kappa," she asked with a bow before she turned her attention over to the professor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Con_Stripes

"Right. Most of you understand that dark creatures are dangerous. As the textbook definition says: They are magical in nature, they often do not have a complete life cycle the way a typical animal would but exist simply as a physical extension of an evil intention and they seek actively to harm, often for no other reason than that's what they do."

Truebridge watched the Kappa for a moment.

"However, in some cases, particularly in the case of the Kappa, there are some benefits to keeping one around. What can a Kappa do for you?"

"Kappas are highly knowledgeable of medicine and there are legends that state they taught humans the art of bone setting," she offered. "Maybe if you are in need of medical assistance they will be about to help you."

"...we'll have to agree to disagree on that one, I guess." Raiden almost looked amused, even as the creature let out a blast of gas again. Good Merlin it was so... smelly.

And it was moving closer to him. That was worrisome. A muscle twitched in his neck as he tensed slightly, but he stayed where he was, watching the creature calmly.

"They would be little, yes. Most definitely on the smallish side." He paused, his thumb stalling over the 'e' in his name on the vegetable in his hand. "Do you have any, I mean? Any children?"

Was there a word for Kappa spawn? He had no clue. And he knew the answer to the professor's question... he just didn't find it a very appealing thing. Who wanted a loyal helper who could very likely eat one of your unsuspecting friends when they came over?

Gold sighed. "It's Gold," she said, quietly. She had already told this... Kappa, what her name was. There was no need for it to ask again. Maybe it was a forgetful type? Seemed that way.

"Yes, but you can't determine the winning side before the game," Gold pointed out, though her tones were still polite. "Maybe we shouldn't play Shogi, after all." Because she had a feeling that they weren't going to decide which side who was going to be, anytime soon.

"So, Kappa, what kind of sports do you like?"

She smiled at the creature.

Gold raised a hand. "Lots," she said, simply. "If you can get them to 'trust' you, they're willing to lend a helping hand, wherever they can. They'll carry objects, help in routine tasks, and suggest cures and medicines. The difficult part is actually getting the Kappa to consider you a friend. Unless, of course, you potentially save its life, or set it free."

She paused for a moment, before going on, "They're water-children in every sense of the word, and that's why they tend to help out in water-associated tasks, more than in anything else. They can help in irrigation, and are known to look after important water sources."

Daisy nodded. She grabbed six cucumbers this time for she already had to questions in mind. "Would it be impoliet of me to ask what gender you are?" She held out three cucumbers.

Daisy smiled. "Well once you prove trusting and that you're a good nice person they'd help you out with some plumbing needs."

Ivory had been observing the Kappa going ons with a bit of a smile. Although a part of her quite admittedly felt antsy, she felt very safe in the knowledge that with the Professor and other older students around the odds of things going bad were pretty slim.

But this wasn't why she was a bit off to the side however. She was actually looking forward to conversing or well at least trying to converse with the Kappa but it had taken her a little longer than she was happy to admit to get the hang of conjuring a cucumber with her name on it. What started out as miniature gourdes and pumpkins eventually gave way to elongated squashes with Irovy written on the side. It had taken her even longer to progress to her name being spelled correctly but the cucumber part....well. Suffice to say it wasn't going so well.

Oh it was a cucumber...technically...sort of...in a past life. That's what pickles were right?

Ivory let out a resigned breath as she held up her conjuration and looked over at the many students feeding the Kappa. Fine, it wasn't a cucumber. It was a pickle, a tasty looking pickle at that had it been real might have at one point been a tasty cucumber but sadly, Kappas probably did not enjoy an old cucumber/pickle.

Tapping her boots in the water and making tiny little splashes, she bit her lip. She was going to do this! She wanted to feed a Kappa and gosh darn it she would.

Shutting her eyes and praying to the Kappa deities to help keep the Kappa from starvation, she concentrated on her pronunciation, as she tried to emphasize the correct syllables even as she traced an elongated loop in the air. Almost as if she was tracing a cucumber itself. "Cue-CUR-bit-a In-TAL-yo."

Much to her surprise, out of thin air popped out a perfectly acceptable green cucumber. Not forest green with a sour smell like that of a pickle but a really honest to Merlin cucumber. It even had her name inscribed in curling letters on the side.

Giggling in spite of herself, she used Diffindo to cut it in half and make sure it was a cucumber all the way through. Sure enough it seemed that her concentration had finally cooperated enough.
It took four more tries but finally after so long after it seemed everyone else had mastered the spell long ago she finally succeeded. Of course she vanished it and tried it a few more times, before deeming herself ready but finally it seemed she'd be able to participate with the rest of the class.

Holding her cucumber before her she approached the little group around the Kappa and bit her lip for a second in nervousness...What was the most polite way to go about this...

Kappa returned bow because Kappa was polite, but Kappa was careful, too. Very. "This one likes tasty cucumbers. This would not turn down a liver either."

Kappa watched back for a moment. Then this one emit more gas in man's general direction.

"It is pretty. Kappa thinks so. This one excuses because you are very polite." And because this one wanted another cucumber, please.

"Kappa does not have to agree to disagree." Kappa's patience were going to run out. Boy was very impolite. Very, very impolite. "Kappas do not have children. Kappas eat children." This one thought about eating boy.

HIIIIISSSS. "Kappas no LIKE gold!" HIIIISSSSSS Kappa HATED gold! HIIIIISSSSS. Kappa SNAPPED at hideous metallic girl!This one would NOT play! NO!

Kappa was not going to take its eyes off of metal girl, but this one answered its cucumber-giving friend. "Would not be impolite to ask, only dumb. This one answered again." Kappa waited for three MORE.

Mustering up her courage, Ivory sloshed her way carefully over to the Kappa pondering over the best way to phrase her offering of a cucumber. The most polite way to acknowledge them was with a bow...that was poilte, right?

She wasn't so much entralled with tricking it into bowing as she was simply trying to learn from this experience, so that if Merlin forbid she was ever in the wild and confronted by a Kappa she would at least have this encounter to look back on...and hopefully survive.

Curtsying slightly into a little bow, Ivory let herself relax. There was no danger...only polite conversation.

With a small timid smile, Ivory spoke up. "This one Kappa, excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt but by any chance would you do me the favor of accepting this cucumber. I have reason to believe it is not a pickle but rather a very tasty cucumber and I thought you might enjoy it..."

Smiling hesitantly, she waited with a bit of nervousness to see how he would react.

So yeah... Jake had a cucumber already and yeah, it had his name on it.

And yeah... he was focusing more on the Kappa than on Truebridge.

"Hey, Kappa," he called softly, offering the cucumber to Kappa and smiling. "Sssay... I know ssssomeone who keeps Kappas and thhhey have a lady K-k-kappa that is lllooking for a male muhh-mate... know any mmmale Kappas that might bbbe interested?" he asked, and then to cover his tracks. "He mmmight have some mmmale Kappas looking for ffffemale mates too... again, knnnow any?"

He hoped that would work. It would probably be the only way he could earn points today.

It didn't look all that pleased. Raiden suppressed the odd feeling of vindication; everyone else seemed to think the thing was kind and nice, but it was obviously still a slimy git under that façade.

"You don't have child Kappas?"

Then what, did they burst into existence fully-grown?

"Right. Bone setting and healing is one of the biggest skills a Kappa can share with us, also plumbing, irrigating crops and helping with other small errands." There had been a few other creative answers too, but the smell was getting to be too much and the Kappa was clearly getting antsy.

"Alright, its time to wrap up now. You've all done very well today and I'm particularly proud of the effort you have put in this term, every one of you." Particularly the Slytherins but he wasn't going to say that.

Truebridge flicked his wand which had been at the ready and the water drained from the room. Then he repelled the Kappa into the cage quite unceremoniously and latched it.

He had to take the Kappa away before the feast.